If you're wondering why the air seems thicker than usual, the windows in Javits's lobby area are all fogged up, and booksellers walking out of the 2700 aisle are out of breath, it might be because of what's been going on at Medallion Press's booth (2738). The press, best known for its romance fiction list, is demonstrating on an iPad set up in the booth its hot, newly launched interactive e-book app. And the editors have chosen a doozy of a read for their first interactive e-book app: Passion's Blood by Cherif Fortin and Lynn Sanders, originally released in 1998 in an illustrated print format by Genesis Press. An updated print version, with sexy new plot elements and new illustrations, was released by Medallion in 2008 as part of its Illustrated Masterpiece series. Even though the title was well-received in print format, Medallion has long considered that Passion's Blood is a tale that can't be simply read, but must be felt and savored.
The 130-page romance is complemented by 25 interactive high-resolution illustrations featuring Fortin, who is a romance book cover model as well as a writer, photographer, and illustrator. "The images really help to draw readers into the story line and truly feel the passion and intensity of the story," explains Paul Ohlson, Medallion's director of sales and marketing. For example, he says, Passion's Blood includes an image of a shirtless Fortin lying on a bed. When the reader brushes her fingers across his bare chest, he gives her a sultry glance. Elsewhere, the reader can be momentarily infused with the healing powers of the female protagonist, Lady Leanna, and "heal" an injured Prince Emric by running her hand across his wound. "Our Masterpiece series isn't erotica, so the interactive touching stops there," Ohlson assures Show Daily.
The interactivity isn't just about touching and seeing either, Ohlson says. It also involves hearing what one is reading and viewing. For instance, when the knight is leading his horse across the river in the quest to save his love in one of the illustrations, the reader actually hears the water splashing, the horse whinnying, and flashes of lightning in the sky. Medallion promises to release another interactive e-book app this fall, this time a Vampire romance, Angelique by Helen Rosburg with Ali DeGray.
